Resident calls sheriff after guest destroys house in erratic fit of rage

Jeremiah Love, 34, of Caulfield, is being held in the Ozark County Jail in connection with a case in which he’s charged with felony property damage and possession of methamphetamine. A bond reduction form shows that Love is expected to enter the Turning Leaf substance abuse treatment program on Oct. 29. A preliminary hearing is set in the case for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 12, before Associate Judge Raymond Gross. 

According to the probable cause statement, prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Rhoades, at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 6, the officer was responding to a home in Caulfield after it was reported that a man was at the house arguing with people and breaking things. When Rhoades arrived on scene, he met with the victim who said Love was inside the house, “destroying everything and acting erratic.”

Rhoades found Love inside the living room of the home standing next to a chair and a foot stool, which had a glass meth pipe laying on it in plain view, the officer wrote.  

Love was bleeding from several locations on his body and the interior of the house was upturned with glass from the door broken out, furniture flipped upside down and several items laying in the floor broken. Food and household items were also scattered across the floor, the report says. 

“…I immediately recognized the indications that he was under the influence of meth. He was paranoid. He was unable to follow instructions. He was breathing heavily, sweating, his pupils were dilated, speech was rapid and confused, he had a white film on his tongue,” Rhoades wrote. 

The officer placed Love in handcuffs, escorted him outside where he could talk to him. 

“He could not tell me what happened. He just said it happened too fast for him to explain. I immediately saw a second glass meth pipe sitting on a small end table next to the seat where I located the suspect,” the officer wrote. “Under the seat was a glass container where I could clearly see a white crystal-like substance that I immediately recognized as meth. I collected the items and all of them field-tested positive for meth. The victim stated he had been allowing the suspect to stay in the living room for a couple of days, and no one else was staying in there. The victim desired prosecution for the broken items in the house, which amounted to approximately $1,000. He said Love just started yelling and breaking items in the house with no reason.